Assistive Technology Devices
The term “assistive technology device” means any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of children with disabilities. (From the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), P. L. 101-476, Section 1401 (a) (25).)
Augmentative/Alternative Communication
Any communication that requires something other than the person's own body
Assistive Technology Services
The term “assistive technology service” means any service that directly assists a child with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device. Such term includes–
(A) the evaluation of the needs of a child with a disability, including a functional evaluation of the child in the child’s customary environment;
(B) purchasing, leasing, or otherwise providing for the acquisition of assistive technology devices by children with disabilities;
(C) selecting, designing, fitting, customizing, adapting, applying, maintaining, repairing, or replacing of assistive technology devices;
(D) coordinating and using other therapies, interventions, or services with assistive technology devices, such as those associated
with existing education and rehabilitation plans and programs;
(E) training or technical assistance for a child with a disability or, if appropriate, that child’s family; and
(F) training or technical assistance for professionals (including individuals providing education or rehabilitation services), employers, or other individuals who provide services to, employ, or are otherwise substantially involved in the major life functions of children with disabilities. (From the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), P. L. 101-476, Section 1401 (a) (26).) Assistive Technology Evaluations An assistive technology evaluation may be a good initial service to put in the Academic Plan to determine what the child’s needs are in the education setting. Some children with disabilities who need accommodations and services, but who do not need “special instruction,” have those accommodations listed. Any device or service must be listed in the Academic Plan.
The evaluation should determine the extent of the child's needs, the type of device or service that is necessary, and the training the child, family, teacher, and other professional staff will need. The evaluation can be broad or can focus on a particular area, such as reading or communication. If there are several devices that might be appropriate a trial period may be necessary.
Adapted from Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) (http://www.pattan.k12.pa.us/supportingstudents/shorttermloan.aspx)
Optical Character Recognition
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is a process of converting printed materials into text or word processing files that can be easily edited and stored. The technology has enabled such materials to be stored using much less storage space than the hard copy materials. OCR technology has made a huge impact on the way information is stored, shared and edited. Prior to Optical Character Recognition, if someone wanted to turn a book into a word processing file, each page would have to be typed word for word.OCR technology requires both hardware and software. In addition, sophisticated OCR systems require an additional circuit board in the computer itself to complete the process. An optical scanner scans the text on a page, then breaks the fonts down into a series of dots called a bitmap. The software can read most common fonts and distinguish where lines start and stop. This bitmap is then translated into computer text. While Optical Character Recognition has made huge advances in recent years, it still does not perform well in recognizing handwriting or fonts that look similar to handwriting.
Definitions of Terminology
Assistive Technology Devices
The term “assistive technology device” means any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of children with disabilities. (From the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), P. L. 101-476, Section 1401 (a) (25).)
Augmentative/Alternative Communication
Any communication that requires something other than the person's own body
Assistive Technology Services
The term “assistive technology service” means any service that directly assists a child with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device. Such term includes–
(A) the evaluation of the needs of a child with a disability, including a functional evaluation of the child in the child’s customary environment;
(B) purchasing, leasing, or otherwise providing for the acquisition of assistive technology devices by children with disabilities;
(C) selecting, designing, fitting, customizing, adapting, applying, maintaining, repairing, or replacing of assistive technology devices;
(D) coordinating and using other therapies, interventions, or services with assistive technology devices, such as those associated
with existing education and rehabilitation plans and programs;
(E) training or technical assistance for a child with a disability or, if appropriate, that child’s family; and
(F) training or technical assistance for professionals (including individuals providing education or rehabilitation services), employers, or other individuals who provide services to, employ, or are otherwise substantially involved in the major life functions of children with disabilities. (From the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), P. L. 101-476, Section 1401 (a) (26).)
Assistive Technology Evaluations
An assistive technology evaluation may be a good initial service to put in the Academic Plan to determine what the child’s needs are in the education setting. Some children with disabilities who need accommodations and services, but who do not need “special instruction,” have those accommodations listed. Any device or service must be listed in the Academic Plan.
The evaluation should determine the extent of the child's needs, the type of device or service that is necessary, and the training the child, family, teacher, and other professional staff will need. The evaluation can be broad or can focus on a particular area, such as reading or communication. If there are several devices that might be appropriate a trial period may be necessary.
Adapted from Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) (http://www.pattan.k12.pa.us/supportingstudents/shorttermloan.aspx )
Optical Character Recognition
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is a process of converting printed materials into text or word processing files that can be easily edited and stored. The technology has enabled such materials to be stored using much less storage space than the hard copy materials. OCR technology has made a huge impact on the way information is stored, shared and edited. Prior to Optical Character Recognition, if someone wanted to turn a book into a word processing file, each page would have to be typed word for word.OCR technology requires both hardware and software. In addition, sophisticated OCR systems require an additional circuit board in the computer itself to complete the process. An optical scanner scans the text on a page, then breaks the fonts down into a series of dots called a bitmap. The software can read most common fonts and distinguish where lines start and stop. This bitmap is then translated into computer text. While Optical Character Recognition has made huge advances in recent years, it still does not perform well in recognizing handwriting or fonts that look similar to handwriting.
Types of Assistive Technology Products
http://www.microsoft.com/enable/at/types.aspx